Conventionally, in air-conditioning control systems for, for example, office buildings, a temperature setting value is resetted to a reference setting value, which has been set in advance, when a specific time is reached (for example, 8 AM the following morning). The reference setting value is set so as to minimize energy consumption while maintaining a comfortable temperature within the space that is being controlled, and so is set to, for example, 26° C. for cooling or 22° C. for heating.
In this way, in the setting value controlling method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2008-286445 (“JP '445”), the setting value is updated to the reference setting value at a specified time, in consideration of the balance between the amount of energy used and the comfort within the room. However, when the current controlling mode is the cooling mode and the temperature setting value is set higher than the reference setting value, or when the current controlling mode is the heating mode and the temperature setting value is set lower than the reference setting value, then the amount of energy consumption would be reduced as much as possible by not updating the temperature setting value in the direction that would increase the energy consumption, by not resetting the reference setting value even when the specified time is reached.
In the setting value controlling method disclosed in JP '445, there is a problem in that the resetting to the reference setting value is not necessarily to the optimal setting for energy conservation. For example, when there are unexpectedly few heat-producing objects within the room when in the cooling mode, then even resetting to the reference setting value for energy conservation would result in excessive cooling. On the other hand, when there are unexpectedly many heat-producing objects within the room when in the heating mode, then even resetting to the reference setting would result in excessive heating.
The present invention was created in order to solve the problem areas set forth above, and the object thereof is to achieve further energy conservation in a setting value controlling method and device for resetting a temperature setting value to a reference setting value.